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Germany & France REJECTED Moscow's proposal to add US to Normandy Format discussions on Ukraine

Jonny Tickle
RT
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 14:19 UTC
Zelenskiy Merkel Macron Putin
© REUTERS / Charles Platiau
FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's President Vladimir Putin attend a joint news conference after a Normandy-format summit in Paris, France December 9, 2019.
Moscow proposed inviting the US to join the Normandy Format discussions on the war in east Ukraine, but Germany and France categorically refused to allow Washington in, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed on Tuesday.

Speaking at the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Lavrov noted that the US is the country wielding the strongest influence over Kiev, and its inclusion in the discussions could be beneficial for peace in the east of Ukraine.

The format talks began in June 2014, when France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine met in Normandy, on the sidelines of a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the D-Day allied landings. This group eventually came together to sign the Minsk Protocol a few months later, the agreement that led to a ceasefire in Donbass, in the east of Ukraine.

Comment: See also:

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Fire

Navy report blames crew for devastating fire on USS Bonhomme Richard


The Independent
Wed, 20 Oct 2021 16:24 UTC
USS bonhomme Richard fire
© Associated Press
A Navy report has concluded there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others that fueled the July 2020 arson fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard
A Navy report has concluded there were sweeping failures by commanders, crew members and others that fueled the July 2020 arson fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard, calling the massive five-day blaze in San Diego preventable and unacceptable.

While one sailor has been charged with setting the fire, the more than 400-page report, obtained by The Associated Press, lists three dozen officers and sailors whose failings either directly led to the ship's loss or contributed to it. The findings detailed widespread lapses in training, coordination, communication, fire preparedness, equipment maintenance and overall command and control.

"Although the fire was started by an act of arson, the ship was lost due to an inability to extinguish the fire," the report said, concluding that "repeated failures" by an "inadequately prepared crew" delivered "an ineffective fire response."

Comment: 21 injured as massive blaze & explosion cripple US military ship in San Diego

The lax discipline and lack appropriate training wouldn't have anything to do with the U.S. Navy's focus on 'diversity and inclusion' now would it?

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Eye 1

DOJ says Guantánamo detainee can testify about his CIA torture

Joseph Choi
The Hill
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:49 UTC
guantanamo
© Getty Images
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a letter to the Supreme Court last week that a Guantanamo Bay detainee will be allowed to testify about the alleged torture he experienced.

Acting Solicitor General Brian Fletcher wrote in a letter to the Supreme Court on Friday that Abu Zubaydah would be permitted to tell authorities in Poland about his alleged torture.

In his letter, Fletcher wrote that the Defense Department "has informed this Office that under the circumstances presented here it would allow Abu Zubaydah, upon his request, to use such a process to send a declaration that could be transmitted to Polish prosecutors."

Comment: See also:

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Stock Up

Biden's climate ambitions are too costly for voters

Bjorn Lomborg
Wall Street Journal
Thu, 14 Oct 2021 21:19 UTC
net zero price
Politicians across the world routinely promise unprecedented reductions of carbon emissions but make little mention of the cost, often covering with vivid projections of green jobs. Yet the economic damage these policies would do is much greater than what most voters would tolerate, while the climate benefits are smaller than many would imagine.

The annual cost of the promises to which President Obama signed on under the Paris climate agreement would have hit roughly $50 billion in 2030, or about $140 per person. Many studies show Americans are willing to pay a couple of hundred dollars a year to remedy climate change, but this data is highly skewed by a small minority willing to spend thousands of dollars. A recent Washington Post survey found that a majority of Americans would vote against a $24 annual climate tax on their electricity bills. Even if they'd hand over $140, it'd buy them little. If Mr. Obama's agreement were sustained through 2100, it would reduce global temperatures by a minuscule 0.06 degree Fahrenheit.

President Biden is pushing much stronger climate policies with much higher price tags. Before his election, he promised to spend $2 trillion over four years on climate policies — equivalent to $1,500 per person per year. And Mr. Biden's current promise — 100% carbon emission reduction by 2050 — will be even more phenomenally expensive.
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Network

Tehran will host Russia for military cooperation talks in 3 months time, says Iranian military chief visiting Moscow

Golnar Motevalli
Bloomberg
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:52 UTC
iran russia flag
Iran and Russia will convene a "joint military commission" in Tehran within the next three months in order to discuss defense and security cooperation, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, Mohammad Bagheri.

Bagheri, who is in Moscow for meetings with his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, said the commission will also be tasked with outlining areas of cooperation in the field of military training, without giving more details, according to IRNA.

Comment: It may be that there comes a time when Russia decides it is no longer in the best interests of the world that it observes US starvation sanctions on Iran: Also check out SOTT radio's:


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Boat

China, Russia navy ships jointly sail through Japan strait following joint naval drills in region


Yahoo
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 17:31 UTC
China, Russia navy

China, Russia navy ships jointly sail through Japan strait
Chinese Navy's Kunming-class destroyer No.172 sails on the sea near Japan
A group of 10 naval vessels from China and Russia sailed through a strait separating Japan's main island and its northern island of Hokkaido on Monday, the Japanese government said, adding that it is closely watching such activities.

It was the first time Japan has confirmed the passage of Chinese and Russian naval vessels sailing together through the Tsugaru Strait, which separates the Sea of Japan from the Pacific.

While the strait is regarded as international waters, Japan's ties with China have long been plagued by conflicting claims over a group of tiny East China Sea islets. Tokyo has a territorial dispute with Moscow, as well.

Comment: This move is not quite on par with the US and UK's incursions, and maneuvering near, Russia and China's territory, although it is perhaps notable considering the recent drill in the region: Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Why You Should Question Media Reports About China 'Causing Covid' And 'Invading Taiwan'

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Dollars

Brazen corruption: Mad Maxine paid daughter $74,000 in campaign cash THIS YEAR ALONE

Houston Keene
Fox News
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:43 UTC
maxine waters not happy

Maxine Waters
Rep. Waters' campaign has paid over $1 million to her daughter over the years

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., has paid her daughter tens of thousands of dollars more in campaign funds this year.

Campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News show that the congresswoman's campaign has paid her daughter, Karen Waters, a cumulative $74,000 in donor cash through September.

The last quarter alone saw over $20,000 go to the younger Waters, which is nearly a third of the median American household income in 2020, according to the Census Bureau.

Comment: How has this lunatic held one to her Congressional seat for so long?

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Magnify

Fully vaccinated Colin Powell dies from 'Covid complications', Fox News anchor deletes Tweet questioning vaccine efficacy

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:35 UTC
Colin Powell

Colin Powell
Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state , has died from complications from COVID-19, his family said on Facebook.
"General Colin L. Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away this morning due to complications from COVID-19," read a statement posted to his official Facebook page.

"He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American."
Powell's leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st.

Comment: The Hill reports on the Fox anchor that hastily deleted their reasonable tweet:
Fox News anchor John Roberts deleted a tweet on Monday that suggested former Secretary of State Colin Powell's death from COVID-19 complications raises "new concerns" about the long-term efficacy of inoculation.

Roberts's deleted tweet said "the fact that Colin Powell died from a breakthrough COVID infection raises new concerns about how effective vaccines are long-term."


Long term? It's been barely a year and and it takes a few months for the data to come in, meaning that these vaccines aren't effective at all, not even in the short term.


It was met with an immediate backlash online, where plenty of those responding noted that Powell's age and specific health history put him at a higher risk for COVID-19.


His age more generally puts him at risk of death, however none of these points were taken into account before when the government was actively trying to up its Covid death tally.


In a series of follow-up tweets, Roberts explained he'd deleted the tweet because it had been interpreted as being "anti-vax."


A thought crime in 2021, whether or not the point be valid.


Roberts said he had encouraged people to get vaccines and that he also though booster shots could be important.




According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among the 187 million vaccinated Americans, there have been roughly 7,000 breakthrough cases resulting in death, Peter Hotez of the Baylor College of Medicine noted. 6,000 of those are over the age of 65, suggesting a breakthrough case leading to death is extremely rare.


As always, these are just the ones that we know about, and it would appear that the vaccines don't protect the most vulnerable, which was apparently the whole point. Moreover, it's likely the vaccines put them at a greater risk of harm both directly from a compromised immune system but also indirectly from the virulence of mutations and increased shedding by the vaccinated.


The tweet from Roberts, critics said, also could lead to more vaccine hesitancy. More contractions of COVID-19, including among the vaccinated, are more likely because of the nation's large unvaccinated population.


We know that this isn't true, because Israel - as just one example - has one of the world's most vaccinated populations and is suffering record levels of reinfections and severity in the vaccinated.



Fox News has actively promoted vaccination to its viewers and has implemented a vaccine requirement for in-person employees, despite some of its hosts still questioning the necessity of vaccination and criticizing state-ordered coronavirus lockdown measures and vaccine mandates.
See also: And check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Is The Government Hyping Shortages? And is 'Vaccination Shedding' Really a Thing?




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Broom

Russia to suspend direct diplomatic ties with NATO after US-led bloc's expulsion of Moscow mission - FM Lavrov


RT
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 11:47 UTC
Lavrov
© Reuters / Kirill Kudryavtsev; (R) Getty Images / Beata Zawrzel
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Moscow has announced that it will completely suspend the operations of its mission to NATO, two weeks after the US-led bloc expelled eight Russian diplomats for alleged 'undisclosed espionage' at its Brussels headquarters.

Speaking on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also revealed that the NATO information bureau in Moscow will be forced to shut down as part of retaliatory measures.

Earlier this month, NATO officials decided to slash the size of the permanent Russian delegation to the bloc, revoking the credenitals of eight envoys, in response to what it called "suspected malign Russian activities."

Comment: It's likely that NATO isn't saying what these allegations are because Russia would prove either that they're baseless or not as serious as NATO is making them out to be, thus exposing that this is yet another belligerent escalation against Russia by the West. Notably it's occurring at a time when Russia is expected to bail out much of gas-poor Europe: Also check out SOTT radio's: NewsReal: Why You Should Question Media Reports About China 'Causing Covid' And 'Invading Taiwan'



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Cult

Biden ignores DC mask mandate in latest round of Covid hypocrisy

Jordan Davidson
The Federalist
Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:50 UTC
biden no maks restaurant
© Brenden Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
President Joe Biden leaves Italian seafood restaurant Fiola Mare after a date with first lady Jill Biden on October 16, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden blatantly disregarded Washington, D.C.'s mask mandate on Sunday night to dine at Fiola Mare, an expensive seafood restaurant on the Potomac River.

In videos posted to social media, the unmasked couple is seen being escorted through the pricey harbor restaurant by masked Secret Service agents. The president appears to be holding a mask in his hand but the first lady's face covering is nowhere in sight.

Comment: Not the first time:

Joe Biden ditches mask at Lincoln Memorial — hours after mandating them

It's not the refusal to wear a mask, it's the hypocrisy of imposing mandates and fines and then ignoring them which runs right down the government line:

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